Police Raid Pymoor Scrap Yard
POLICE have raided what they say is an unlicensed scrap yard in Pymoor. Acting on intelligence drawn from an ongoing investigation, a 25 strong team of officers joined dog teams and Environment Agency staff to raid the farm on Cophall Drove at 7.30 am on
POLICE have raided what they say is an unlicensed scrap yard in Pymoor.
Acting on intelligence drawn from an ongoing investigation, a 25 strong team of officers joined dog teams and Environment Agency staff to raid the farm on Cophall Drove at 7.30 am on Wednesday morning, with a police helicopter on scene to prevent any suspects escaping.
Three men, aged 75, 42 and 47, were arrested and taken into custody on suspicion of environmental offences.
Police teams also discovered an unlicensed shotgun and a number of poorly kept exotic birds at the scene which may yet bring further RSPCA charges.
The farm was suspected by police to be operating without a scrap yard licence, raising concerns that many of the scrapped cars, lorries, tractors and engines on the one acre site posed a serious fire hazard and could be potentially toxic to the environment.
DI Andy Gipp, who was leading the operation on behalf of Cambridgeshire Police, told the Ely Standard: "Our concern with an unlicensed site like this is that many of the cars and lorries on the site have not been properly checked and dealt with which means that they pose a very serious fire and environmental risk."
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The raid forms part of Operation Saruman - Cambridgeshire Police's ongoing crackdown on metal theft. Prices for raw materials hit a record high in 2007 leading UK police forces, especially Cambridgeshire, where thefts rose 170 per cent, to attempt to tackle the problem.
